Free Legal Advice Offered by Philadelphia Bar Association Dec. 19

The Philadelphia Bar Association will offer free legal advice to residents of Philadelphia and the surrounding counties on Wednesday, December 19, between 5 and 8 p.m. Members of the public can access the service by calling the Association’s LegalLine P.M. hotline at (215) 238-6333.

Area residents seeking confidential legal advice will be able to speak for free with a volunteer attorney from the Philadelphia Bar Association. Attorneys are available to offer information about any aspect of the law including family law, landlord-tenant, workers’ compensation and employment law, among other topics.

LegalLine P.M. is a public service sponsored by the Young Lawyers Division of the Philadelphia Bar Association, providing residents with free, quick and accurate legal advice during convenient evening hours. LegalLine P.M. is offered on the third Wednesday of every month from 5 to 8 p.m. The program has existed for nearly 20 years, allowing volunteer attorneys to help thousands of callers through direct service or by referring them to an appropriate source.

In addition, during regular work hours, the Philadelphia Bar Association offers another program -- the Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) -- which provides lawyer referrals to area residents. Staff attorneys take calls from the general public and refer callers to attorneys in private practice for a 30-minute consultation, for which the attorney agrees to charge a drastically reduced fee of $30.

If callers do not need an attorney or cannot afford one, they will be directed to a legal service organization, agency or other resource for assistance. LRIS is available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., by calling (215) 238-6333.

Founded in 1802, the 13,000-member Philadelphia Bar Association is the oldest association of lawyers in the United States.